Philosophy of Boating Competence
An Important Philosophical Opening Statement to Set the Tone
Operating a powerboat on our waterways is different than operating a vehicle on a road. Besides the obvious reasons, there are strict and well-defined rules for vehicles. For example, you must travel specific maximum speeds in certain zones and you must stay to the right (or left). When it comes to operating vessels on water, while there are rules, the implementation of those rules are left to the operator. For example, you must travel at a safe speed – but how fast is safe? You must make an early and obvious turn to avoid collision – but how early and how obvious?
What this means is that the onus of responsibility has been given to the skipper of the vessel to make constant prudent decisions about the operations of the vessel and the safety of the crew. And so PRUDENCE is the word of the day and is the responsible philosophy to adopt when it comes to boating.
You are being prudent by not only taking this course but by taking it seriously. For example, it is prudent that a skipper must know the rules of navigation at all times – it is not enough to have known them once. Further, it is prudent that a skipper know and retain all the material presented in this course. For example, knowing how to properly anchor so that your boat is not washed ashore onto rocks in an overnight storm, knowing how to operate in sudden storms and waves to prevent a capsize, having skillful maneuvering abilities to prevent docking disasters, and more.
Prudence comes with a reward – the reward of safe boating. Conversely, lack of prudence comes with a reckoning – and the potential of a lifetime of regret. So for your sake and your family and friends sake, take this course seriously and complete it before you next get out on the water. If you are inexperienced, it would be prudent to use a professional instructor to give you practical operating skills, and ease safely into your future enjoyable boating adventures – with PRUDENCE!
Finally, it was prudent of us to give you free access to this course forever – allowing you to always come back and review and retake the tests – to continue to stay safe and keep others safe. With our iOS and Android App, you can remind yourself of important things to know such as the give-way rules, identification lights on vessels, or the vessel identification sounds you hear in fog at any time while waiting at the doctor’s office for example. You’ll also find that all our pages are mobile-friendly.
Remember these two important points:
- To be the skipper of a boat you need to be competent and safe
- While Skippering, always exercise prudence
